With no trace of missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed for over 10 days, Delhi Police on Monday announced an increase in reward for any information leading to him from Rs 50,000 to one lakh even as agitating students knocked at the doors of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung over the issue.
Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar met Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar over the missing student issue.
“The vice chancellor and the rector expressed the JNU community’s anguish over the missing JNU student and appealed to the police commissioner to expedite and strengthen the search for Najeeb.
“They were told that the police department has taken several serious steps to find him and has decided to increase the amount of reward for information regarding Najeeb from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh,” the university said in a statement.
Meanwhile, JNU students staged a march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar demanding expedited efforts to trace the student. A delegation of JNU students union went to submit a memorandum to the office of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung in this regard.
The agitating students were joined by Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja at Jantar Mantar, who also consoled the aggrieved family of Najeeb.
“We know how with the patronage of this government certain students’ organisations have been working in various campuses in order to browbeat the opposition. They do so in order to ensure that students do not have their legitimate democratic rights and their right to debate dissent,” Yechury said while addressing the students.
Yechury said he met President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday and that he is aware of the missing student’s case.
A student of School of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, allegedly went missing on last Saturday following a brawl on the campus allegedly with members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the night before.
JNUSU has been agitating since then alleging inaction on the administration’s part. The students had even confined the VC and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours last week.
The special branch of Delhi Police had also sent a report to the home ministry stating that the issue could give rise to communal tension, said a senior police official.
Following the report and intensifying protests, the home minister had directed Delhi police to form a Special Investigative Team to trace the missing student.
Image: Members of JNUSU and other students organisations shout slogans during a protest march over missing of JNU student Najeeb, in New Delhi. Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI photo
